I didn’t wake up and plan to write about hockey today, but then the Union Hockey League dropped a bombshell announcement on the ol’ social media feed, and now I feel sort of compelled to at least make note of it. The UHL announced plans to expand from 12 teams to 48 next year. They will have four divisions of twelve teams (north, south, east, and west). This is not just a hard slapshot of a play, but a mighty clapper from beyond the blue line. This is a major move for a league that has just begun, and honestly, it’s kind of messing with my head a little bit. Already, I’ve seen the naysayers and negative Nellies online talking about how this is too big, too fast. They might have a point. It’s a lot of activity in a brand-new league. It might drain the talent pool. It might result in too much, too soon. But on the other hand, it’s a bold move, and for something like the Union Hockey League, it might just be the correct move for this time. Let’s look at some possible specifics for why. Senior AAA hockey is a draw across Canada, but it’s relatively under the radar in America. A bold forward push like this will make people take notice, and in the end, that’s the name of the game. You need people to notice this thing exists, know that it’s making a big push, and see that it’s getting a head of steam while moving forward. Marketing is a difficult thing to do in this day and age. We are inundated with content on every platform. It’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. Marketing is about getting as many people as possible to know about the product to spread the word as far as it can go. It’s a numbers game. The more people who know about something, the more likely you will be to find an audience for the product. It’s brutal, but a sudden influx of a 48-team league will at least establish a wide enough base that it should create enough media throughout social media and local networks to make people sit up and take notice. That’s a win. Not to mention, broader exposure could lead to things like more merchandise sales and the potential for a larger sponsor base. National sponsors will be more likely to jump on board when they realize this league will dot the county instead of being localized to the Rust Belt. Let’s face it, nobody wants to work for free, so everything comes down to money, and a bold move like this expansion has the potential to start a real sponsor funnel to help the teams grow to their potential. A massive expansion like this will help teams with simple geography. Already, having a travel league like this where teams have to drive ten or more hours to some games can be brutal at this level. No one is chartering G6’s for these road trips. It’s done by turning tires on the interstate. And hockey is played at a volatile time of year, weather-wise. It can make some of those road trips a little iffy. By having four divisions with twelve teams each, you can localize the travel better, and the teams won’t burn themselves out on the road. Large conferences will also lead to a more meaningful and exciting postseason. Everyone wants to play for hardware, and if you rise to the top of a 48-team pile, it means a little more. That’s a long way for a cream to rise, and it provides the potential for a lot more upward and downward movement in the standings throughout the season. This keeps the stat-watchers engaged, and it will only ramp up excitement down the stretch toward the postseason. I’m not an expert in any of this—just a fan hacking at a keyboard. But I would like to shrug off any potential negativity toward this move and focus on the potential positives. I see this expansion as being a big, broad, bold boom of a decision, and I think it could work out if people get behind this league. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Hockey is the best sport to watch live. Especially in smaller venues where UHL teams will be playing. For not a lot of money, you can go to the barn in Sun Prairie, where there are no bad seats and everything is literally rinkside, or for a much bigger headache in terms of travel and parking, and for twice the money, you can go get nosebleed seats at the Kohl Center, where you need a pair of binoculars to distinguish the live game from bubble hockey. I know me—I’d rather hang out with some of the locals and support the hometown team. This expansion could be just the thing to help the Union Hockey League announce its arrival with authority. I think it’s good for the league, good for the Killer Bees, and good for Sun Prairie. Let’s go, Bees. |
About the AuthorSean Patrick Little is a writer, speaker, editor, educator, and general literary dude from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. Click the pictures below to purchase books!
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